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Tennessee man accused of abducting niece, now charged with child rape

Posted at 5:21 PM, Dec 06, 2016
and last updated 2016-12-06 17:26:21-05

ROGERSVILLE, Tenn. -- The Tennessee man police say kidnapped his niece and went on the run for eight days earlier this year is now facing additional charges of rape and sexual battery.

Gary Simpson is now facing two counts of rape of a child and three counts of aggravated sexual battery in Hawkins County, Tennessee.

In May, authorities issued an Amber Alert after Simpson picked up his 9-year-old niece, Carlie Trent, from school after he falsely claimed her father had been in an accident, authorities said.

Gary Simpson (PHOTO: Hawkins County Sheriff’s Office)

Gary Simpson (PHOTO: Hawkins County Sheriff’s Office)

Simpson was on the run for eight days with Carlie, before being spotted and captured in the woods of Hawkins County, Tennessee.

In a statement to police, Simpson claimed his motive for taking the girl was to remove her from her home because he felt her father favored her sister.

The then-57-year-old was initially charged with especially aggravated kidnapping and custodial kidnapping.

The Hawkins County Sheriff's Office would not say if the child involved in the additional charges is his niece, but the alleged assault reportedly took place between April and May 2016, the same time period he's accused of abducting her.

Simpson is being held on a $1 million bond. He is set to be back in court on Friday, December 9.